


Take This Pink Ribbon Off My Eyes

by nitpickyabouttrains



Category: Clueless (1995)
Genre: F/F, I always want to write fic about 1990s movie, Yuletide 2020, clueless totally holds up, happy yuletide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2020-12-02
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:40:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27844633
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nitpickyabouttrains/pseuds/nitpickyabouttrains
Summary: After the makeover montage, Cher and Tai have a talk.
Relationships: Tai Frasier/Cher Horowitz
Comments: 20
Kudos: 40
Collections: Yuletide 2020





	Take This Pink Ribbon Off My Eyes

**Author's Note:**

  * For [laydeemayhem](https://archiveofourown.org/users/laydeemayhem/gifts).



> Happy Yuletide! I rewatched the movie for a refresher in voices and got inspired. I hope you like it!

*takes place after the makeover montage, but before the ‘buns of steel’ scene*

“How do you know how to do all this stuff?” Tai asked, sitting in front of the mirror of the vanity table in Cher’s dressing room. 

Cher stood behind Tai, wielding the hairbrush in her hand like a weapon. She looked up from Tai’s cloud of hair, and met the girl’s eyes in the mirror. “I don’t know. I guess I have, like, always had an affinity for making things beautiful.”

Tai snorted a laugh. “You just called me beautiful.”

Cher was still getting used to that sound. Tai had so much joy in her, and the way she laughed, it was like the happiness just couldn’t find another way to escape. Something about it seemed so innocent, so naïve.

Like this, talking about how pretty she was. Cher knew exactly what she looked like. She spent time on keeping up appearances, on making sure she presented in the right way. She knew how to make herself look just right. And Dionne was always there to help.

Maybe that was what Tai needed, someone to help, to bounce ideas off of.

“Well, you are,” Cher said, placing one hand on Tai’s shoulder to still her, so she could go back to brushing. “You have great bone structure. I see a lot of potential.”

“Your just saying that,” Tai said, turning pink.

Cher thought the color looked charming on Tai, especially with her red hair, and made a note to herself to get Tai some blush. She would have to be careful with the shade and make sure it didn’t clash with the rest of Tai’s very specific coloring.

“I am not,” Cher insisted. “And you have to start believing it about yourself. Inner beauty is just as important, and that means believing in yourself.”

It was a lesson Cher had planned for another day, inner beauty, but she could start laying the foundation for it now. it was never too early to boost confidence, because feeling good about yourself really did make people look better. It was one of the reasons Amber always looked so heinous, no self-confidence.

“I guess that makes sense,” Tai admitted, shrugging just a little.

Cher ran the brush through Tai’s hair, marveling at the way the curls bounced into place, forming adorable ringlets. Even with a perm, Cher’s hair would never hold a shape like this. It had taken mousse and whole new types of conditioner, but it was worth it.

“I love your curls,” Cher said. “I had no idea how to style them, but Dionne had some ideas, and we found a copy of Seventeen Magazine with some tips. I really think we are getting much better definition.”

Tai nodded under Cher’s ministrations, “Yeah it does look pretty good.”

Cher grinned at Tai, pleased that the other girl was already taking her advice. “Good positive attitude!”

“Thanks,” Tai shot her a smile back.

They fell into a comfortable silence as Cher finished up Tai’s hair. They had spent a lot of time together, doing all the makeover stuff, and Cher had been surprised by how much she liked spending time with Tai.

Sure this had started out as a project, to prove that she could help someone and do something for someone else without anything to gain. But she was really enjoying herself. Maybe this was who she really was, a do-gooder. She was clearly talented at it.

Tai had surprised her, too. Just how willing she was, how happy she was to spend time with Cher and Dionne. And how funny she was.

Cher hadn’t expected to like Tai so much.

Even if half the things she said didn’t make any sense. There was one thing that Cher had been thinking about since it had come out of Tai’s mouth, just because it was so strange.

“Can I ask you something?” Cher asked, because she knew the curiosity was going to get the best of her otherwise.

“Of course,” Tai said, her lips pursing in concentration. She looked so serious all of the sudden and Cher wished she had approached this differently, make it clear it wasn’t a big deal.

“I was just wondering, about something you said before,” Cher said, a question in her voice. “What did you mean when you said you had never had any straight friends before?”

“Oh, just that, like, you guys are all clean,” Tai said, gesturing with her hands. “Like, you don’t smoke at school. Or use during the week at all. At my last school everyone was high most of the time. Or at least, it seemed that way.”

Cher nodded, glad that message had gotten through. Tai had been all too focused on getting weed so far. It could lead to her falling in with the wrong crowd. “The future is too important, I need to be able to think clearly at school. There is nothing wrong with relaxing on the weekends, though.”

That explained that then. It all made sense. Cher wasn’t sure why there was a sinking feeling in her stomach. Like she sort of wanted Tai to have answered a different way.

“Sure,” Tai agreed, her eyes wide.

“So that was it, it didn’t have anything to do with, like, you know, people who are…” Cher looked down, she could feel her cheeks heating up, and she wasn’t sure how to finish her sentence. She wasn’t even sure why she had started it.

Tai blinked at her a few times, before a look of recognition dawned on her face. “Oh, you mean, like, gay? No. I mean, I guess some people at my old school were gay, but not like, all my friends or anything.”

“Oh, okay, that makes sense,” Cher said, making sure her voice was full of pep again. Back to normal. She wanted the conversation to go back to normal.

“I guess some of my friends were gay,” Tai said, looking thoughtful. “I never really thought about it. Why?”

“No reason,” Cher said, brightly. Hopefully not too brightly. “I just didn’t understand when you said it, that’s all. I didn’t know if you were-“

“I’m not gay,” Tai said quickly, looking worried. “If that’s what you mean. I’ve kissed other girls before, sure, but at like parties and stuff. It never meant anything.”

Cher could feel her eyes widen, her heart rate pick up. “You have? Was it…different.”

Cher was usually so loquacious. So good with words. She prided herself on it. It was part of why she was so good at arguing. So why was she having such a hard time finding the right words now? Why did she keep trailing off without finishing her sentences?

“Different? Sure, I guess,” Tai pressed her lips together. “Softer, maybe. Girls have more give.” Tai turned in her seat, so that they weren’t looking at each other through the mirror anymore. Instead they were staring right into each other’s eyes. “Do you want me to show you?”

“Show me?” Cher echoed. She did. She really did.

“Yeah, you are showing me so much stuff, I could like, do the same for you,” Tai said. “Besides, it doesn’t have to mean anything.”

Cher could hear Tai repeating herself, the same line over and over. It could mean nothing. But what if it did mean something? Cher never wanted to kiss any of the boys in school. They were all gross and immature. She assumed guys would get better in college. But high school girls, well, she hadn’t really considered that before.

“Okay,” Cher said.

It seemed to be all Tai needed to hear because suddenly the other girl closed the space between them. Cher only had a second, not even enough time to think, and then there were lips on hers.

Tai’s lips were loose and just a little wet, like maybe she had licked them before. Or maybe it was the lip gloss Cher had given her. She kissed with finesse, her lips slow and sure and warm.

Cher’s eyes snapped closed and she let herself kiss back, let herself feel it, that spark of electricity which was racing down her spine.

After what felt both like just a second and forever, Tai pulled back. “What did you think? Softer, right?” she asked, giving a lopsided smile.

Cher blinked open her eyes slowly, overwhelmed. It had been so much. So different from kissing boys. It made her feel like another person. She wanted to do it again. But at the same time, she could tell it wasn’t a good idea.

Tai was a new friend, and she was counting on her and Dionne to help her. This wasn’t what she needed. And as she kept saying, it didn’t mean anything. It couldn’t.

“Yeah, softer,” Cher agreed.

Because what else could she say.

Cher looked in the mirror, at Tai, who needed her so much. She resolved to do what she had originally set out to do. Help her. And that was going to start with getting her a boyfriend.

That would help.

She would start the next day. And she knew just the guy. 


End file.
